The 1984-96 C4 Corvettes are a tremendous buy these days—as long as you buy the right one. Here’s a Corvette expert to sort out the good and bad years for us.

As enthusiasts got to know the C4 Corvettes of 1984-96, they encountered a bit of a paradox: Here was a sports car that, from some angles, seemed to be less than the sum of its parts. Ambitiously engineered with sculpted aluminum suspension components and a trick braking system, among its many attributes, the C4 was a giant step forward from previous Corvettes. But the C4’s original Crossfire TBI engine proved to be troublesome, and the digital instrument panels featured some bugs as well. And while the suspension was capable indeed, it was tuned on the race course, not on the road, and not surprisingly, it rode like a race car, too: brutally harsh.

All these troubles were successfully addressed in due course, and the C4 Corvette enjoyed a successful 12-year production run. But partly as a result of these issues, prices of C4 Corvettes on the collector car market are….soft, shall we say. Some model years can be bought for a few thousand bucks. Walking around money, if you will. The C4-era Corvettes offer tremendous value to bargain-minded car enthusiasts—if you can avoid the pitfalls and problem years.

To help us sort all that out, we turn to Corvette guru Lyle Aulwurm of C & S Corvettes in Sarasota Florida, an experienced hand on the C4 cars (and all Corvette generations, actually).  This episode of his video podcast is a comprehensive buyer’s guide to the ’84-’96 cars, marking the numerous changes and improvements in each model year. Armed with this info, you can pick the C4 year that’s right for you. And even if you’re not currently shopping for a C4 Corvette, it’s an excellent history lesson on the continuing development of America’s sports car. Video below.